


Yakumo Densetsu

by RiiAngela



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dungeons & Dragons, Blood, Disease, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Gen, Illness, Magic, Multi-race, Swords, Violence, alternate Japan universe, alternate ancient Japan, curse, staff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:14:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23869588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiiAngela/pseuds/RiiAngela
Summary: It is the fall of 1509 in the land of the rising sun. The scars of the Onin War are still visible even after some time has passed, and the political turmoil of the shogunate and the remnants of the Heian-kyo are now a common occurrence, but it's calm here in the northeastern part of the land in Mutsu Province. It is the territory of the Yakumo clan. Its banners of Spider Lilies are showcased in every part of the town, it makes sense since the news of a grand banquet will be held for Daimyo's birthday, the 88th one to be exact.Soon there will be a simple banquet held in the courtyard of the Daimyo’s mansion. Everyone is invited, from noble guests to the rats that crawl behind the kitchen. Drink and eat all you want, as long as you bring a gift or meals or drink of yours to be shared along. Among them, six people arrived here, with different goals in mind and an open invitation to join the party from the soldiers at the gate of the town.
Relationships: TBD - Relationship





	1. In Which Six Unlikely People Meet

**Author's Note:**

> Dungeons and Dragons belong to its respective legal owner (Gary Gigax, Dave Arneson, and Wizards of the Coast).  
> This chapter doesn't have beta nor proofread at the moment. May update again after being proofread. Also, English is not my mother tongue, so apologize for any error in advance. Please enjoy!

It is the fall of 1509 in the land of the rising sun. The scars of the Onin War are still visible even after some time has passed, and the political turmoil of the shogunate and the remnants of the Heian-kyo are now a common occurrence, but it's calm here in the northeastern part of the land in Mutsu Province. On the south of Mount Iwaki stands a pretty huge mansion above a mound overlooking a rustic small town amidst the red and yellow of the fallen leaves. It is the territory of the Yakumo clan. Its banners of Spider Lilies are showcased in every part of the town, it makes sense since the news of a grand banquet will be held for Daimyo's birthday, the 88th one to be exact.

The Daimyo himself, Jigen Yakumo, is a man with a reputation even for a small territory. He’s a savior for those who live in his land, humble and kind. But his pacifistic ways are a trouble for his neighbor territories. War and skirmishes are not his way, but negotiation and courtesy. His sharp wits and negotiation skill has brought peace to his land without bloodshed for all of his almost 50 years of position as a Daimyo. Among them, six people arrived here, with different goals in mind and an open invitation to join the party from the soldiers at the gate of the town.

“Soon there will be a simple banquet held in the courtyard of the Daimyo’s mansion. Everyone is invited, from noble guests to the rats that crawl behind the kitchen. Drink and eat all you want, as long as you bring a gift or meals or drink of yours to be shared along,” the guard says.

Today is two days before the banquet. Near the city center, there was a humble nameless inn. The sun has just risen but the sounds of bustling activities are heard from every corner of the town. Laughs and cheers are loud and the sounds of their works are even harder. Steel working, cooking, carpentry, everyone is doing their part, but all of those sounds are not the one which wakes someone in one of the inn’s rooms. A male human, not quite old but certainly has matured, is woken up by a voice of another man that seems a lil bit older and seems to be in a hurry.

The human seems to be in his late twenties. His hair is pretty scruffy, he wears clothes that almost blend with the locals. Not that flashy at all. One can see around his belt is a scabbard without a blade attached to it.

The older human says to the younger one, “Daiki, I need to go to the lord’s mansion for guild business. The messenger told me that I was expected there. I guess today you could just rest or do anything you want really. You could head to the dining hall for breakfast after you wash your face.”

He quickly dons his expensive outfit that was lent by the guild and picks up his huge bags of tools and painting kits and hurriedly steps out of the room. “I’m leaving. See you later.” He smiles and finally goes off his way.

Daiki is still half-asleep realising what is going on while it's too late. "Hey, hold on!" he mumbles then looks around and then down. "Where is it?" He begins to crouch under the simple wooden bedside table, looking for something.

‘Where's the scarf?! I was sure I put it here recently,’ he thinks to himself. He then crawls away to the futon and finds his scarf there. 

Suddenly a knock is coming from outside.

“Are you awake, good sir?” says someone in a weak old lady voice.

Daiki wraps the scarf around his neck and then he slides the door open. "Yes?"

Outside of the room, there is a very short old lady with white hair and a pretty saggy face. She bows and gives him a warm, huge smile. “How was your rest, kind sir? My name is Kicho. I hope you’re satisfied with our room. I see that you are ready for breakfast. Please follow me.”

Daiki follows along after Kicho the innkeeper gestures to him to follow her. "Ah, yes, it's very well kept. Thank you very much, ma'am." 

He is about to converse some more when he feels a familiar soft nudge against his foot, followed by a familiar sound he used to hear.

“Nyaa~”

"Right almost forgot, come!" He asks the cat to leap to his shoulder and it does just so. "You don't really mind I'm bringing her, do you?"

Kicho notices you right after she stops in front of a closed large room. "Ah... well... I'm okay since I myself fancy a cat, but let's not show it to others in the dining hall and made their fur flies everywhere."

"I'll try my best," he nods.

She crouches down with a smile and slides open the door. "Right, we've arrived. Please take a seat." She guides him towards the empty seats just by the door

When he enters, he notices several people are already in here. Some are waiting for their meal while some are already eating, a total of four other people. In the middle of the room two people are sitting face to face, both of them seem like they have a religious background and the table in front of them is still empty. On one side, there is this androgynous person that wears some Shugen attributes with a huge blade leaned towards the wall behind them. On the other side, a man donned in a Buddhist robes complete with a Khakkara beside him.

While on the other end of the room, Daiki sees two figures are already having their breakfast. On the right is a beautiful female with a particular thing; there are fluffy tails swaying behind her, two to be exact. And across from her is a man with pale skin eating his food in silence. There is also two snubs of horns on top of his head

The beautiful female looks like a well kept human woman in her mid twenties wearing red kimono that seems improperly worn, showing her white unblemished skin around her shoulders and has long jet black hair. Her eyes are grey and carry a certain… womanly aura around her.

The man in front of her has this purple-mini-ponytail who is just slowly eating his breakfast near the corner table. He is eating his breakfast with a black cloth mask on, which is odd. Other than that, his scleras are… black, followed by this glaring, yellow iris. He does not seem to pay attention to his surroundings as no one bothers him.

The androgynous person seems quite miniscule for someone carrying so large of a blade. Short white hair and short white-and-dark robes, she appears a sight for sore eyes, but unconventionally so; the tiny imperfections on her face like the crooked teeth and the touch of freckles stack up to build one perfection. If the word 'pale' was a person, it would be this one.

In front of that person, there is a bagged-eye monk which is looking very tired when he arrived for breakfast. It changes when he sees the stunning woman in red kimono in the room. His eyes awakes like a vigorous person and he casually sits, awaiting the moment to talk to her while eating his breakfast. He is wearing a black robe and resting his golden-colored Khakkara by the wall.

Daiki takes a seat and his small table is being prepared by Kicho, then another figure appears in front of the door. At first, all of them there just see this giant leaf that's as tall as a man, but when they scroll down their gaze, there is a very small person holding the leaf and he's pitter-pattering towards the dining hall with a small drool on the side of his mouth after noticing the food. A young woman's voice followed behind him, frazzled and tried to follow the man’s whim.

“Sir, let me serve you. Please, you could sit down here.” The poor woman gestures towards an empty seat in front of Daiki.

When he sits, Daiko notices the small man is wearing this colorful though dirty clothes and nods at the waiter. The little man’s blue eyes go here and there looking at the dishes served on the other tables. He grins from ear to ear as he approaches the table. The smile disappears as he sees Daiki.

He sits quietly then turns sideways.

The female staff leaves after attending to the small figure and Kicho is standing in front of the door. "Please wait for a moment while we prepare your meal." She bows and closes the door to the room leaving all of you inside in a still silence except for the sounds of utensils used by the two people already eating.

Daiki decides he wants to let his cat roam. He mentally asks the cat to wander around the room while sitting down with the eyes closed. With their magical connection, the cat simply obeys and walks around the room, approaching each individual, possibly looking for food.

It came to the small man first, making the man almost jump from the chair, as he feels something furry touch his legs. "Cat!" he exclaims in surprise.

“Nyaa~” The cat meowth as it passed towards the little man.

The horned male takes the better part of the morning eating his breakfast. The kitten passes in front of him once, but it doesn't seem like the kitten pays much attention to him as well. He's wearing this black haori that one would use to sleep. It seems like he hasn't really changed his attire.

Seeing his chance has come, the monk finishes his breakfast, stands up, takes his Khakkara and walks towards the lady he has been looking at.

"Oh my~~ A kitty." The cat approaches the woman and tries to climb on her lap. Its eyes are focused towards the fish in her table. "Aaw you poor kitty. Want some fish?" She is dangling the fish in front of it then eating it back in a bite. "Hee hee~ not giving itt~~"

The interaction doesn't escape the monk’s eyes who is now right beside the woman. "Well, you seem pretty good with animals."

She grins at the monk, saying, "As there is a saying: Those who do not work do not eat."

"Well then, what sort of work does a cat need to do so he can earn his food?"

"Hmm~~ like being cute right in front of me and giving me his belly?"

‘Oh, this is something,’ mused the monk. "What about being...--" The monk casts some series of magic, making a fish with wonderful aroma appears in his hand ".....resourceful?"

While both of them are engaged with each other, the white cat now wanders a bit more after failing to get his fish. Suddenly, it stops at the end of the room and hisses loudly, its fur and tail spiking up.

Clank… clank… CRASH!!

Hearing that, the atmosphere worsens a bit. The woman stands up quickly, the masked male immediately turns his gaze to the loud sounds, but only his gaze. The small man gets startled and he dropps his food.

'Oh no! My food!' exclaims the small man silently.

As for Daiki, he stands up glancing at the source of the sound while reaching for a hilt then realising that it is missing.

Another set of sound of something’s breaking comes from further inside the inn, but after a few seconds it returns to silence.

The monk grumbles now that the mood is ruined. “What is this mess, I'm trying to make a move.”

The woman loses her initial alertness, turning to the monk casually. Clearly, she is more interested in that ruckuss earlier. "Oh my~ You'll make a generous master, but we'll continue this little game later, shall we?"

The door slid open slowly, with Kicho and two female staff entering the dining hall with food. It is the same staple breakfast: rice, soup, fish and pickled vegetables with some fruits as dessert. After serving your food the female staff leave the hall. Before closing the door, you see Kicho bowing down in a polite manner.

“Please enjoy your meal.” Kicho steps back a bit and slides down the door.

The monk stops her before she can close the door and he asks, "Excuse me lady, I heard something loud... Is everything alright?"

She looks up at the monk and a bit startled from his sudden approach. "Ah, it's just our new recruit... Sorry for the loud noises. Please enjoy your meal, good sir.” She hurriedly closes the door.

Sensing the abnormality, the masked man pokes the one closest to him which is the monk. He questions, “Do you know where the kitchen is?" Surprisingly, his voice is really soft-toned, despite his looks.

The monk answers, "Ah, a mysterious man asking a mysterious question. Sadly, your answer lies upon the door, not me."

There's a visible expression, despite the mask, that the male looks really lost with the answer he heard. "Eh, uh, thank you." He then makes his way to the literal door where Kicho exited through.

Seeing the man is leaving, the monk casts guiding magic on him. "I hope you find what you are looking for."

"Eeeeh~ this seems interesting." The woman in the red kimono starts to trot along with the masked man "You don't mind if I come with you, mister?"

The mask man keeps quiet. She received an answer from the monk instead. "Oh, me? I'm not going anywhere."

"Hmm? Won't you come along too, mister monk?"

Hearing the lady’s invitation, the monk’s face lifts up. "Anything for a lady."

"Ufufu~ then won’t such a gentleman like you tell the lady his name?"

"I can be anyone you want, but I will be Naoe-no-Jorobei for you."

The lady gets taken aback by Jorobei’s suave line a bit, but she tries to keep a straight face. "Does the gentleman have a nickname? And my name is Akane for you~"

When some tries to leave the room, the little man still enjoys his meal. While he is eating, he notices there is something strange being put on the tray. It’s like there are seeds and uncooked rice being arranged there under the bowl and plates of the meal. ‘Cellar’ the arrangements read.

At the same time, Daiki also notices the similar seeds and rice that says ‘Help’. He glances at the seeds then he says it out loud. "Help. Help with what?" His brain connects what happened previously and looks around the room. After a few moments, he starts to realise something, moving on to the other two seated people.

Hearing the man in front of him saying it, the little man also burst out, "Cellar?"

"May I interrupt both of you?” asks Daiki politely. “If you could take a look at your trays respectively?"

The one that has been silent, the adrogynous person thinks this is a clever ploy. They have her full attention now. She stands and looks at the arranged seeds and rice in that man's table, but has a look at what is in her own tray, just in case. As suspected there is an arrangement of letters on hers too. It is a kanji for man.

Daiki takes note of those secret massages and goes into the other room with the others, the androgynous person beind him, leaving only the little man who is still munching on something. When he opens the door he sees the hallway is empty with the exception of Kicho at the end of the hall. She's circling around but her attention is away from the group’s direction.

The masked man approaches Kicho in a straight-forward manner. "Um.. excuse me.. about earlier, is everything alright?"

"You all going to the cellar?" cut the little man, calling out from behind.

Kicho jolts when she hears the voice. She turns to face the people, her brows are full of cold sweat and her small hands are trembling, trying to hush down the voice and not panicking. “Shhh… He could hear us. Please… Help my daughter and grand-daughter. Suddenly these two men came from nowhere right in the middle of our kitchen and threatened my daughter and granddaughter to follow with a dagger on their neck. One of them seems capable of using magic so we’re all scared.” A drop of tear is running down her right cheek while she clutches her sleeves.

"Could you lead me to the kitchen?" he asks in addition, still in a calm and polite manner, but with a much lower volume, noticing that Kicho is trying to remain silent.

"They are not in the kitchen anymore... Fearing a loud noise they could cause, they dragged both of them to the cellar beneath the kitchen." Tears are starting to get visible from her eyes. "Please, can you save them? They said they'll behead my daughter if we called a soldier."

As Kicho looks like she's about to cry, the male isn't sure of how to react. He backs up a little and nods in response. "Take me to the cellar then."

Reading the situation, they prepare for the possibility of skirmish and battle, and Daiki instinctively reaches out for his weapon only to find an empty scabbard. ‘Maaan... Did I leave it again in my room?’

Kicho complies with the masked man’s request. "It's the door on the ground on the right side of the kitchen's wall. I could guide you to the kitchen but we didn't dare get close to it." She starts tip-toeing towards the kitchen

"Let's first approach the kitchen carefully then," replies the masked man.

Inside the kitchen, the staff are crowding away from the cellar door looking scared and confused. Disregarding the dreary atmosphere around the staff, the little man is calmly approaching the cooking utensil, scraping the surface and taking a bowl of water. This earned confused gazes from the scared staff. Sipping the water, he winks at the staffs, seemingly more mindful of his drink.

The masked man makes his way right to the door on the ground. "Is this where they're at?" 

Seeing all this, Jorobei makes an exasperated face and he starts casting his magic, making a spectral hand appear out of nowhere to open the cellar door, mildly surprising the masked man and Kicho. It lets out a loud creaking before it's fully opened and reveals a dark room inside with a ladder going down.

In the corner of the kitchen, Daiki makes a mental order to his cat. ‘Yuki, go check the room over there and be careful.’ He points toward the door to the cellar and sits with both eyes closed, seeing through the cat's vision and mentally prepared to poof her back if anything bad happens.

The cat, Yuki, goes inside and to no surprise the room is dark. Her vision is limited but through Yuki’s eyes, Daiki sees that this room is quite small. After the stairs, there is a wooden pillar right in the middle. A strong musty smell comes from the liquor barrels lined on the left side of the room and on the right multiple barrels are stacked that might be cured fish and vegetables. Other than that the room seems empty. There is nothing here besides the goods and groceries and no signs of individuals as far as Daiki can tell.

"Um, I'm sorry, but.. what do they ask for so that they'd free the hostage?" asks the masked male, averting his head towards the crowd, looking at Kicho.

"No... as far as I can tell they appeared suddenly from thin air and pointed a dagger at my family. After that they just dragged them down to the cellar." Kicho gets visibly more worried

"You said one of them used magic, ma'am?" the small man asks Kicho.

Turns her attention towards the small figure. "Yes, one of them used fire from his fingers as a threat. I guess he's also the one who made them appear suddenly from nowhere."

He looks for a stick or something small, finding a small wooden branch and casts light magic on it. He then throws the stick into the cellar. Jorobei also makes a stone from prestidigitation and casts another light magic then throws it to the cellar, illuminating the room. Now the room is bright with two light sources.

Gingerly, Daiki walks into the cellar.

"Eh, wai--" The masked man tries to stop him but it is to no avail. He lets out a heavy sigh and climbs down the ladder after so. Behind him is Akane, the woman in red kimono, smiling even wider almost sinisterly.

They all notice pretty much the same as Yuki did. There are signs of struggle here, some rice bags and cooking woods are slightly ransacked and it’s moved from its position. Furthermore, on the side of the pillar facing away from the entrance there is a Kunai here stuck with a sheet of paper attached. Akane grabs that paper right away at lightning speed. The masked man shadows over her, to try seeing what’s on the paper as well.

"Ah, it seems like they were having some time here," comments Daiki.

‘At least someone had sense,’ added the andogynous person. A short and succinct prayer leaves her lips as she almost dives down to the cellar. Keen eyes dart around in search of danger.

Silently, Akane reads the paper with thrilling joy and finds the letter says: ‘Goto Ujikane, your wife and daughter are on my mercy. Head east behind the willow thicket by the northern old road towards the Mountain. Vengeance will come swift. Your time is until midday. If you’re bringing the troops of your lord, I’ll behead your families in front of you. And if your head is not beneath my feet by then, then these two women will be the substitute.’

She relays the content to everyone else in the cellar while smiling as if no tragedy happened. "My my, this has gotten pretty bad, hasn't it?"

The androgynous person says with a flat tone, "How kind of them to give away their position." She thinks it’s a classic bandit fodder with classic bandit demands.

Hearing the name Goto Ujikane, the monk and Daiki have a revelation. The Goto clan seems to be known as a loyal retainer and have a pretty powerful name in martial prowess, beyond that there are some rumors about their unluckiness, but nothing specific yet. Maybe this has something to do with how close they are to the Daimyo?

The masked man looks around, taking in the small signs of struggle. Based on his experience, there should be no way a regular person can escape by normal means here. It seems like they vanish from thin air like something he is awfully familiar with. And that means trouble.

Feeling strange how silent they are, Kicho forces her way inside and sees that both of her family members are nowhere to be seen. “Oh my… Where are they?” Her knees go weak and she becomes unbalanced.

Seeing the frail elderly woman, the monk approaches her, silently casting a suggestive magic on her and speaks, "Calm down, they are trying their best to find them."


	2. In Which They Walk in The Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After learning the disappearance of two women, six unlikely people join forces to rescue them with only a clue to find them in a long untouched forest.

Feeling strange how silent they are, Kicho forces her way inside and sees that both of her family members are nowhere to be seen. “Oh my… Where are they?” Her knees go weak and she becomes unbalanced.

Seeing the frail elderly woman, the monk approaches her, silently casting a suggestive magic on her and speaks, "Calm down, they are trying their best to find them."

After hearing Naoe and falls to his magic, she looks up and stares at him with teary eyes. "Oh, where are they? I can't bear losing them..."

The monk calms her down by patting her back and says, "It will all be fine.. all is well."

She visibly gets calmer, but there is still dread in her eyes. "Do you know where they took her? There is only one exit from here and it leads to the kitchen." Her eyes scan the entire room, searching for confirmation. Kicho notices the letter and dagger and approaches both of you "What is that? Is that from the guys who took them?"

"Well, I suppose they know the answers," assumes the monk, looking at four of his acquaintances who went into the cellar.

"That is the most probable assumption, I think,” Akane responds to Kicho’s words. She brings out the letter and the kunai out in the light, presenting them to the old lady. She thinks maybe the granny knows these items and can unveil some clues. “Do you recognize these?"

She eyes the small blade, and immediately shakes her head. "No... All of our knives are locally made from the metal worker just a street from here. These are clearly not a blade made for kitchen use."

'Well, that much is obvious already,' the lady muses with mild frustration, then turns to her group. "So, wanna go there right now?"

“What are your opinions, onion boy?" Jorobei asks too, looking at the masked man.

The masked male kind of thinks to himself for a bit. "It says here to head east behind the willow thicket by the northern old road towards the mountain. What's there?" he added.

At that time, the monk notices how his spell he casted on Kicho has run out, and Kicho immediately snaps her head to him. Her face gets confused and demands an explanation from him. "What... did you just do to me...? I don't understand... Are you with those guys?"

"Of course not, why do you think so?" objects Jorobei immediately. "Do I look bad to you?"

Seeing how the granny rejects the monk’s presence, Daiki tries to interrupt by saying, "To put that aside Granny Kicho, do you mind if we perhaps look for these people?”

The masked man nods in agreement but then processes the situation some more. His yellow eyes open wider in a slight realization. "Eh, they only want Lord Ujikane to come alone so...aren't we risking the hostages' life if we come all at once?"

The white-haired woman suddenly and unpromptedly pipes up. "We risk the hostages' life with every second we do not act."

"Then what should we do?" The man has a visible thinking expression, even with his mask covering half of his face.

The group gathers their thoughts and thinks of their future action of whether to proceed posthaste due to the deadline placed by the culprits, or to call for backup to prepare for other possible scenarios. There is never a discussion though, because seems like Daiki and the androgynous person are bent on going right away, the latter already feeling lust for sinner’s blood. Eventually, all six of them agree to help Kicho or at least don’t refuse it out loud, each with a motive of their own.

With a final plea from Granny Kicho, the group packs their belongings with Daiki being the fastest among them, still without a blade in his scabbard. He walks out of the inn casually and is considering walking straight into the mountain path without waiting for the others, but then the monk comes out and strikes a conversation with him.

The masked man follows behind them, a good 10 to 15 feet behind, but at the same speed and the small man with a big leaf on his head decides to keep to himself, opting to stay out of social interaction between them.

“I see a tough determination,” starts Jorobei with a friendly gesture. “What is your name, dono?”

There is no reason to disregard the monk’s positive manner. “I’m Daiki. And you are?”

Out of nowhere, Akane comes in among the two men, butting in their conversation. “My, nice knowing you, Sir. My name is Akane"

"Welcome to our horde, lady Akane. We were just talking." The monk winks which Akane replies by playing with her hair with a seductive vibe.

That earns an audible scoffs from the androgynous person who just joins the group. ‘Some horde.’

"Well, Daiki-san, you have to be pretty strong to fight with only a scabbard," comments the lady after recognizing how Daiki’s scabbard lacks the blade.

"What do you mean a scabbard? I have it right..." He looks down and then pauses. "... You know what? I’ve probably left it somewhere." He sighs. Seems like this is the usual occurrence. ‘Where did I put it this time?’

"Ufufu, I don't dislike a cute forgetful person like you."

Suddenly, Daiki feels a nudge from behind. The masked man is handing him a wakizashi. "It's not a katana but...I guess it'll work for now," he added slightly, with a low-volume voice still.

Daiki looks surprised by the sudden offer. "Ah, it's fine. Don't worry about it. You probably need it more than me. I'll manage somehow"

"O-oh, sorry then." The masked man sheathes back his wakizashi.

"Do not worry about it," the androgynous one says to the forgetful man. "The first sinner we kill, you pick up their weapon."

That bloody statement is a contrast to her pure appearance and small body, making Akane chuckles in amusement. “My and what a forceful boy you are. What's your name, little boy?"

One more string of sanity unravelled within the person’s mind. A vein on her forehead seems to pop. The voice retorting Akane sounds decidedly androgynous. "Yuuri. I am not a boy." ‘It's fine, it's fine, they're preparing me for the task at hand. I work better when angry, it's fine’.

"Ufufu, seems like I offended you somehow. I apologize if so," what her mouth says, but she is still smiling unapologetically.

‘She isn't sorry. No one ever is.’ "Let's not keep our hostages waiting..."

"Look at this vibe! Aren't we all a team already?" The monk waves his hand at the interaction within the party, praising.

With their banter over, and Daiki’s and Yuuri’s determination to reach the willow thicket as fast as they can, the group of six people are now well on their way to the mountain. With Daiki and Akane walking up the front, Jorobei takes it as his chance to… walk within an inappropriate distance behind the lady, seeing a delightful view along the way. Akane herself is being kind by giving more sway to her movements once she realizes someone is ‘observing’ her.

Other than a few quip comments of the newcomer of Yakumo territory, the journey turns out to be quiet and uneventful. Now all of them reach the northern border of the town leading to the old road and eventually to the mountain where the thicket is. It is mostly the farmer's field at this side of the town and they can see a tow of guards at the checkpoint before the old road, stationed in some kind of post.

Noticing at the group walking towards them, the guards stand up and tell them to stop. "Halt. Where are all of you going? Towards the mountain?"

"Hello brave guards!" Jorobei gestures welcoming hands to the guards, trying to appear as harmless as possible. "You see this man right here is my servant, and these are my colleagues of travelers! He wants to guide us on a trip to the north for sightseeing. Is it possible dear guards?"

"Urgent request under the name of lord Yakumo's subordinate," Daiki, who is now dubbed Jorobei’s servant, nonchalantly added, raising an eyebrow at the monk’s obvious lie.

Jorobei coughs and casts a message to Daiki using his magic. ‘Just go along with it.’

‘No way they'll believe the conflicting accounts,’ thinks Yuuri in her mind.

"So which one is true? Yakumo subordinate or travelers for sightseeing?" The guards perk up and approach closer with their hands ready on their blade.

"Didn't you hear me? The guy here is Yakumo's subordinate and we all are travelers. The guy here is supposed to guide us to travel to the north."

"Are you keeping us in or out?” says Daiki, going along with Jorobei’s scheme. “This is an important matter. Unless you want to upset the daimyo himself then be my guest."

Noticing your sudden serious notes, they get taken aback for a moment before they realize the embroidery of the Echigo crest on the monk’s robe. They look at each other for a bit and step back. "We're sorry for our impudence monk-san. But it is dangerous beyond here. There is another road towards the mountain in the west if you want to go there."

‘So it is the Echigo crest after all,’ the masked man tells himself after noticing the guards' respectful reaction.

"But if you are willing to pass this way, then so be it. Just be careful." They return to their post and watch the group from the distance

"Even though I'm a monk, I can protect myself. Besides, Lord Yakumo's subordinate is here to protect us."

They bid their goodbye and pass the checkpoint. When they reach the old road it truly feels like an unused road. The tracks are mostly mud and fall out of repair, there is no lantern or post to signify safety and it’s surrounded by overgrown bamboo forest on its left and right. Right now, there is no willow thicket in sight as mentioned in the letter. The muds are mostly undisturbed, probably from rain or animals. There is no sign of human activities. To reach the mountain one can walk casually along the snaked road for about 5 hours or so.

Noticing the length of the road along with the shape of the nature around him, the purple-haired male bends his head slightly. He reaches out to the group and tells them, "Uh, this might be a really long walk. Are the hostages going to be fine?" There was a hint of discomfort from him or more like a worried tone.

‘I don't think this will end well.’ Jorobei walks at the very back of the party positioning himself beside the masked man who he personally dubs ‘the onion boy’. "Everything might happen."

"It is imperative we get there as soon as possible, but it is more imperative that we get there. Do not exert yourselves too much," comments Yuuri.

Akane agrees with her. "Let's not be too hasty, shall we? The culprits are waiting for Goto after all. They won't kill the women yet."

After about an hour walking in discomfort because of the unused road, the masked man, Daiki, and Yuuri notice that there is a small shrine on the left side of the road. There is a stack of stones behind it with a white shimenawa on the lowest one. But now the shrine looks like it has been ransacked and the stacked stones are toppled over.

As a spiritual person, the sight of an unrespected house of God makes Yuuri’s blood boil. ‘What foolishness to let a shrine fall into disrepair.’ Yuuri splits off from the group to inspect this small stone shrine. 

When she tries to rearrange the stones to the best of her abilities, a voice stops her. It’s Daiki who is now inspecting the white rope around the shrine. "Wait don't form the stones just yet."

Her hands stop short of performing the action. She glares at Daiki with murderous intent. "What?"

He replies, "I said hold on. This could be the clue to the trail those guys left. If it isn’t then you can put it back the way it is supposed to."

Reluctantly, Yuuri gives way to Daiki to do just what he said. The man sees the shrine and concludes its condition may be due to natural causes. Since the road has been unused, the shrine might not be attended as well. Although, it's weird to think that the townspeople are not doing anything to this shrine or relocate it.

"Well, what do your instincts tell you?” quips Yuuri impatiently. “This is an abandoned road, this is an abandoned shrine. It might just be human error, no one paying respect to this place even after the road goes unused."

"I am with the boy. Yes, the spirits must be respected," added the monk.

"Excuse me...but, I think it isn't caused by the one we’re after. I can't really see any other human tracks other than ours." The male follows into the discussion.

"Is that so? Hmm…” Daiki stays away from the shrine. “We can continue after this, yes?"

"Not until this place is restored to its rightful condition." Yūri begins to reassemble and return the stones to the stacking position. As best as she can remember the position, anyway.

"I uh, agree with the lady..." the masked man once again answers in hesitation.

"Lady? You mean me?" In an instant, Akane gets closer to the masked man, obviously eager even though she knows that lady in question isn’t her. "You can call me Akane, mister-?"

"Eh, uhm, I mean..." He points at Yuuri weakly.

"Aaw, it's a pity. I'd love to converse with you," whined the woman while licking her lips as if she is eyeing a prey. It is sad that the man doesn't get the hint.

The male isn't sure what to respond to Akane. "I didn't mean to say that I wouldn't talk to you. Eh, uh." He began to stutter slightly, a bit awkward and mildly embarrassed.

"Well, you can always start by giving me your name."

The awkward silence between Akane and the man is broken by a surprised Jorobei after processing the fact that Yuuri was addressed as a girl. "He's a girl?"

As if in cue, the person in question suddenly feels a cold sharp pain behind her neck that no one else feels. She stops her stone stacking and kind of pauses a bit and everyone else notices a pretty huge gust of very cold winds. The weird thing is the wind leaves a trail of whispering noises for a moment, before everything returns to silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! Thank you for reading our chapter 2.1 adventure in Yakumo using DnD 5e. Our second season somehow ends up with a total of 6K words novelization, so I'm splitting it up to two (as most of our sessions are). Your kudo, comments, and suggestions are welcomed!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! Thank you for reading our very first adventure in Yakumo using DnD 5e. By the grace of our Dungeon Master, our current adventure is done by using text-based session, so I have the idea of making it a novel of some sort since I just have to copy-paste, add here and there, and voila.  
> Your kudo, comments, and suggestions are welcomed!


End file.
